Christmas is never truly over

Published: Friday, January 17, 2014 at 02:06 PM.

I walked into our church this past week and was surprised at how barren the sanctuary seemed with all of the beautiful Christmas decorations no longer there. I reflected on how quickly the Christmas season seems to pass; just about a month ago, Christians throughout the world memorialized the birth of Jesus with grand celebrations. This event changed our cosmology and our relationship with God in ways we still endeavor to understand and live. God entered this world in humble circumstances and in an unexpected way. Grand messianic expectations gave way to the reality that the Incarnation is an invitation to radical and holistic conversion. God’s desire to be known and to have an intimate relationship with humanity came into fruition in very unlikely ways. History reveals that many struggled (and still struggle) to accept this reality. The birth of Jesus was the definitive moment in the history of salvation during which heaven and earth merged to reveal a new kingdom, the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom challenges us to see the world through a much different optic, one as unexpected as the way in which it was made manifest. In her book “Radical Amazement” Judy Cannato states, “A critical movement in the evolving understanding of God came in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. This first-century Palestinian Jew changed everything for us. He is the Incarnation, which means ‘God-in-Flesh,’ the definitive revelation upon which Christianity rests.” From the moment the angel Gabriel announced to a young woman named Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah, to his death and resurrection, and still today, God continually challenges our perceptions and expectations. Not long after the birth of Jesus, more of the divine plan was revealed as some of the first to apprehend this miracle were as unexpected as the miracle itself ... humble and uneducated shepherds and Gentile Magi from a foreign land. These early events in the life of Jesus revealed that the Messianic age brought with it a message of acceptance and selfless love. Juxtaposed to the expected Messianic exclusivity was a radical metanarrative of inclusivity: This King came into the world out of love for everyone and his kingdom radically and decisively accepts diversity and the challenges of the human condition. This kingdom is for all! An event and message such as this is difficult to forget or ignore because it poses a challenge: Christmas is a lifetime of work, the work of the kingdom! We have beautiful celebrations, give and receive gifts and adorn our homes and churches with beautiful decorations to commemorate Christmas. Yet, the Christmas season is already just a memory for many, instead of a life-changing event. Our reality as Christians is that Christmas is not just about one day, or even a season; it is a challenge and a call to action to live out the reality of the Incarnation as radically and as unexpectedly as it happened! Although the decorations are gone and the celebrations have ceased, as long as there is suffering, hunger, poverty, prejudice, exclusion, and the devaluing of human life in this world, Christmas is never over!

The Rev. Paul M. Gabriel, OFM Conv. is the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community. He can be reached at pastor@blessedsacramentnc.org

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I walked into our church this past week and was surprised at how barren the sanctuary seemed with all of the beautiful Christmas decorations no longer there. I reflected on how quickly the Christmas season seems to pass; just about a month ago, Christians throughout the world memorialized the birth of Jesus with grand celebrations. This event changed our cosmology and our relationship with God in ways we still endeavor to understand and live. God entered this world in humble circumstances and in an unexpected way. Grand messianic expectations gave way to the reality that the Incarnation is an invitation to radical and holistic conversion.
God’s desire to be known and to have an intimate relationship with humanity came into fruition in very unlikely ways. History reveals that many struggled (and still struggle) to accept this reality. The birth of Jesus was the definitive moment in the history of salvation during which heaven and earth merged to reveal a new kingdom, the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom challenges us to see the world through a much different optic, one as unexpected as the way in which it was made manifest. In her book “Radical Amazement” Judy Cannato states, “A critical movement in the evolving understanding of God came in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. This first-century Palestinian Jew changed everything for us. He is the Incarnation, which means ‘God-in-Flesh,’ the definitive revelation upon which Christianity rests.”
From the moment the angel Gabriel announced to a young woman named Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah, to his death and resurrection, and still today, God continually challenges our perceptions and expectations. Not long after the birth of Jesus, more of the divine plan was revealed as some of the first to apprehend this miracle were as unexpected as the miracle itself ... humble and uneducated shepherds and Gentile Magi from a foreign land. These early events in the life of Jesus revealed that the Messianic age brought with it a message of acceptance and selfless love. Juxtaposed to the expected Messianic exclusivity was a radical metanarrative of inclusivity: This King came into the world out of love for everyone and his kingdom radically and decisively accepts diversity and the challenges of the human condition. This kingdom is for all!
An event and message such as this is difficult to forget or ignore because it poses a challenge: Christmas is a lifetime of work, the work of the kingdom! We have beautiful celebrations, give and receive gifts and adorn our homes and churches with beautiful decorations to commemorate Christmas. Yet, the Christmas season is already just a memory for many, instead of a life-changing event. Our reality as Christians is that Christmas is not just about one day, or even a season; it is a challenge and a call to action to live out the reality of the Incarnation as radically and as unexpectedly as it happened! Although the decorations are gone and the celebrations have ceased, as long as there is suffering, hunger, poverty, prejudice, exclusion, and the devaluing of human life in this world, Christmas is never over!

The Rev. Paul M. Gabriel, OFM Conv. is the pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Community. He can be reached at
pastor@blessedsacramentnc.org